


Murder. Magic and Muffins (M3)

by drwhogirl



Series: Potter/Professionals [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Professionals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-23 02:46:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3751522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drwhogirl/pseuds/drwhogirl





	Murder. Magic and Muffins (M3)

It was the 31st October 1981, one night in history when dark deeds that no one could prevent would cause lives to be lost. Lives whose loss would affect the future of one small child whose name was... Harry. 

******

Doyle looked down at the two, sheet covered, bodies lying on the mortuary slab before glancing up at his partner who nodded back at him in silent agreement.

“Why CI5, Sir?” he asked of the third man in the room, George Cowley, wanting to clarify why this particular double murder should require their specialist skills. 

But before Doyle could finish asking the question the door swung open and a man entered tall, dark haired and wearing the obligatory white coat, with his glasses perched on the end of his nose. 

“I believe I may be the man to answer that,” he said, striding between the two agents and directly towards the older man, his hand extended in greeting. “Arthurs,” he said, grasping Cowley’s hand and shaking it vigorously. “George Arthurs. Forensic Pathologist.”

“Cowley,” replied the head of CI5, shaking the man’s hand in return. “How can we help you?”

“Well.” With a theatrical swirl of fabric Dr Arthurs threw back the covers to reveal the two bodies, one a man and the other a woman. He then pulled a chocolate muffin from his lab coat pocket and started to eat it. “I assume you’re not squeamish, not in jobs like yours, eh?”

Bodie stood to something not unlike attention and Doyle moved across to the filing cabinet, leaning against it and crossing his arms over his chest in his customary fashion. 

“What has happened to these people?” asked Mr Cowley. 

“That is the very crux of the problem,” replied Dr Arthurs as, still eating the muffin, he moved across to the body of the man and pointed. “The cause of death still eludes me and, I can assure you, I have many years of experience in my field. This body contained a large PH scale of acidic residue which points towards burning and extreme temperatures.”

“Are you talking spontaneous combustion?” asked Doyle. 

“Very good!” replied Dr Arthurs, looking delighted. “Very good, indeed. But there are no outward burn marks.”

“So what are you suggesting?” asked Cowley. 

“To be honest, I wouldn’t rule anything out at this stage.”

“Chemical weapons?” asked Bodie.

“Oh, Mr Cowley,” Dr Arthurs looked like he was about to explode in glee. “May I congratulate you on the quality of your staff? Very good indeed, yes, I am concerned about chemical weaponry being used here.” 

“In other words you haven’t got the slightest idea,” muttered Bodie.

“What was that?” snapped Cowley.

“Nothing, Sir.”

Doyle moved from his leaning post and slowly, respectfully, covered the bodies with the sheets once more. “What were their names?” he asked.

“James and Lily Potter,” replied Dr Arthurs.

“Husband and wife,” muttered Doyle. 

Bodie moved, imperceptibly, and Doyle went to stand beside him. 

“There was a baby too, but he survived,” added Dr Arthurs. “I believe he is now being looked after by relatives of the deceased.”

“Where exactly was the scene of the murders?” asked Cowley. 

“Godric’s Hollow,” replied Dr Arthurs. 

“And who is in charge of the case?”

“Well, I believe that considering all my doubts and concerns, that now falls to your department, Mr Cowley. I have asked the Police to get their forensic files together and deliver them to your offices because I believe CI5 are the only department who can get to the bottom of this, for the safety of the Nation.”

“And that,” said Cowley, as he looked over his glasses at Bodie and Doyle, “is why this is a CI5 case.”

******

James loved these days, the days when he could just spend time with his family and Jack and not have to worry about the war or the fact that Voldemort wanted them dead.

Jack was on the floor playing with Harry and Leo making ‘snow-works’, as he called them, to keep the boys amused. Amy and Lily were sitting on the sofa in the corner, watching and laughing at the pair. It was already getting dark before Leo started yawning and Amy decided to take her little boy home. She picked up the sleepy child and smiled at her brothers and sister-in-law. 

“I guess I’ll take this little one home, then. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

“If you see the Kangaroo tell him to cheer up, the grump,” Jack told her with a mischievous grin, making the girl laugh. 

“Will do, don’t you worry. In fact, if you like, I’ll pop by the warren tomorrow and turn his fur pink.”

This suggestion caused Jack to laugh, less at the suggestion and more at the mental image that accompanied it. Amy flashed him a sisterly smile before leaving, setting off home to get Leo to bed. 

Another ten minutes of playing resulted in a very tired Harry as well. Lily scooped him up to take him upstairs to bed when the front door exploded. It took a moment for anybody to be able to react but when they did James immediately pushed his wife up the stairs. 

“Lily, take Harry and go!” he shouted. “It’s him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off-!”

James pleaded with her, standing at the bottom of the stairs between his wife and the monster that had dared to invade their home. Tears started streaming down Lily’s face as she realised this would probably be the last time she saw her husband alive. She gave him one last kiss before taking the frightened one year old upstairs, not daring to look back when a flash of green filled the staircase. 

For once Jack was pleased to not be believed in. It meant that not only could he follow Lily and Harry without being seen but it also meant that as Voldemort was stood in the doorway he could walk straight through him without being noticed. 

He carefully stepped over James’ dead body on the staircase, pausing only to close the unseeing eyes that stared blankly upwards. This pause was a decision he would come to regret, however, because the next thing he heard made his heart break. He heard Lily scream. 

He ran up the stairs and into the nursery where Lily and Harry had taken refuge, but by the time he got there Voldemort had claimed yet another life - Lily Potter had joined her husband in another world, far from fear and pain. And two of the only three adults able to see Jack and know of his existence were now dead. 

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Harry starting to cry. Voldemort had raised his wand at the infant and Jack reacted purely on impulse, creating a barrier of thick ice between Harry and the Dark Lord. As the killing curse hit the frozen barrier the curse rebounded and the blockade shattered, shards of ice flying in all directions, and one leaving a lightning bolt shaped cut on the small boy’s head. 

Unfortunately it wasn’t over yet as the ceiling started to cave in above them. Jack snatched up the child and flew out of the window, just as the house crumbled around them leaving only shattered remains. 

******

 

“This is impossible,” said Bodie, picking his way through the rubble. “There’s nothing left.”

Doyle picked up the remains of a window frame and tossed it away. “What do you reckon? Bomb?”

Bodie studied the scene for a minute. “Would have to be a bloody big one. I’ve never seen anything quite like this before.”

“Watch your language, ladies present.” Bodie looked up and followed Doyle’s gaze towards the remains of what looked like the centre of the house where two women stood. 

Neither woman looked older than 19 or 20, no more than girls really. One girl had long white blonde hair, swept out of her eyes with a crimson Alice band which perfectly matched the colour of her dress and pumps, all topped with a denim jacket. 

Her friend was dressed very solemnly in comparison. She had long, untameable black curls and wire rimmed glasses, hiding her hazel eyes that shone with un-shed tears as she stared out over the ruins of the house. She was dressed in a skirt, blouse and shoes that almost seemed like they belonged to a Police woman’s uniform but there was something about it that didn’t seem quite right. Maybe it was the lack of a radio of any kind or maybe it was the badge clipped to her belt. 

The black haired girl didn’t even seem to notice the two men as she tried to convince herself that it wasn’t real and it was all a dream - or nightmare.

The blonde attempted to comfort her. “It’ll be alright, Amy. We’ll get the rat that betrayed them and make sure he gets what’s coming to him.” She watched as her friend’s hazel eyes turned towards her for the first time since they received the message about the incident. 

“How can it ever be okay, Annie?” Amy whispered, her voice slightly hoarse, before she appeared to shut everything out completely once more. 

Bodie stepped forward. "Can we help you, ladies?" he asked, immediately concerned at their distress.

Amy was trapped in sorrow and grief, so her best friend stepped in. "It was her brother and sister in law that used to live here," she explained.

Bodie flipped open his black note book to take notes as Doyle showed the women his ID. 

"We're CI5."

"CI5?" Annie asked; she had grown up in the wizarding world so she had no idea who CI5 were or what they did. She looked at Bodie, made instantly curious by his strange, to her eyes, clothes. His black trousers and jumper topped with a leather jacket made her immediately mutter, “Regulus?”

“What?” said Amy, suddenly snapped out of her revere by the name of her dead boyfriend.

“Tall, dark, and handsome…” explained Annie. 

“That’s me,” smiled Bodie. 

Doyle's kind eyes crinkled as he smiled along with him. "It's alright," he said, “he’s engagingly modest too. We're kind of police. Trying to find out what happened here. Is there anything you can tell us?"

"I'm afraid I can't but Amy was the last person to see them before this happened." Annie explained, gently wrapping an arm around her still shell shocked best friend.

Doyle gestured towards a large lump of what looked like the remains of a sofa and encouraged them to sit down. "I'm Ray," he said, crouching down so that he was on the same level. "Take your time, but tell me everything you can. Even the smallest thing could help."

Amy took a shaking breath and started explaining what had happened, right up to the point where she had taken Leo home. But she was careful to edit out Jack, knowing it would make her sound crazy if she mentioned him.

Bodie carried on his scribbling as she spoke, glancing across to Doyle as he shoved his notebook back in his pocket. “Do you know of anyone who might mean the family harm?” he asked.

Amy bit her lip slightly as she tried to work out whether telling muggles about Voldemort would be against the statute of secrecy or whether she would be breaking some kind of rule or regulation. 

Doyle noticed her hesitation. “It’s okay,” he said, gently. “Nothing you can tell us would surprise us. We’ve heard it all.”

This time it was Annie's turn to bite her lip as if to try and stop herself from laughing. "Have you heard it was the most powerful dark wizard in history going after them because of a prophecy saying that their son was going to kill him?" The blonde asked curiously – Annie had never cared much about the rules. 

Bodie pulled his notebook back out of his pocket and started flipping through the pages. Finding nothing about a powerful dark wizard he fixed a deep blue eyed stare at Annie and raised one quizzical eyebrow. “You’re winding me up, right?”

"I really wish I was." She replied sadly.

Doyle narrowed his eyes and stood up, looking across at Bodie. 

“What?” asked his partner.

“I suddenly felt cold, really cold,” he said, pulling his red checked woollen coat closed. “Like someone walked over my grave.”

"Not quite right." Jack stated from behind him, knowing full well that he would only be heard by Amy, but earning himself a half smile from the girl all the same.  
“You’re not kidding,” replied Bodie, pulling his own jacket closed and zipping it up. “It’s like it just dropped ten degrees. Come on, Ray, let’s get back to the car. Ladies, thank you for your help. We’ll be in touch.”

“Yeah, right.” As Bodie walked away Doyle paused for a moment, thinking over everything they had been told. 

Annie smiled up at them, watching in particular interest as Doyle slowly followed his partner to the car, his tight blue jeans drawing her eye. 

Jack had been checking out the Ford Capri, always interested in anything that looked like it might move at a fast speed, but he closed his eyes as Doyle walked right through him - he never had been able to get used to the sensation.

******

 

“What can you see?” asked Pitch, as Peter curled in on himself, concentrating. 

Peter gave him a sly look, as if his leglimency skills gave him some kind of seniority over the other man, before concentrating once more. 

“The women have found help,” he replied, after a few moments contemplation. 

“What kind of help?”

“Well, I’m not really sure…”

“Pettigrew,” Pitch Black’s voice became sinister for a moment. “If you don’t stop hiding things from me I will find a way to do this without you. And you know what happens to things I have no further use for.”

Peter shrunk back from the other man, clasping his hands together as he pleaded. “Oh, don’t be like that, Mr Black, sir,” he whined. “I’ll tell you, it’s just a bit cloudy, that’s all.”

“Then clear it,” commanded Pitch. 

Peter focussed once more as he stared into the near distance. “Two men. Police, I reckon.”

As he spoke dark grains of nightmare sand gathered over his head, re-creating the scene in inky swirls and spirals. 

“And do they know anything?” asked Pitch, petting the dust in a paternal manner. 

“Looks like the muggles are clueless.”  
“Have they mentioned Sirius?” demanded Pitch.

“Not by name.”

Pitch stood up, the intimidation of his full height causing Peter to shrink back even further. 

“They must blame Sirius, at any cost. And they must do it before he finds us.”

“Oh, they will,” whined Peter. “You’ll see. I can plant it in their heads.”

Pitch narrowed his eyes as he loomed over the smaller man. “Then do it.”

******

Bodie was just driving away from the crime scene when Doyle suddenly leant forward, clutching his head in his hands as if in great pain. 

“Ray?” The tyres of the Capri screeched as Bodie pulled the car in to the side of the road. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, God,” stammered Doyle. “It’s like something is splitting my head open.” 

“Erm, okay, put your head between your knees or something…”

Bodie’s words faded in Doyle’s head, to be replaced by other words. 

Inky darkness, nervous fear, being bullied, desperation, unpopular, failure, being controlled; only the deep velvety darkness can give protection… Sirius Black is the murderer… Sirius Black is guilty…Find Sirius Black…

“Sirius Black,” muttered Doyle, suddenly sitting up straight and staring out of the front windscreen, as if transfixed.

“Ray?” said Bodie, hesitantly.

“I know who did it, Bodie,” said Doyle, turning to look at his partner for the first time since getting in the car.

“How?”

“I just do.”

“Doyle,” said Bodie, firmly. “You don’t accept anything without evidence. You’re a copper, remember?”

“Sirius Black,” insisted Doyle. “Trust me, Bodie.”

“I do trust you, Ray,” said Bodie, looking attentively at his partner. “You know that.” Bodie paused for a moment, as if deciding what to do. It didn’t take him long. He would trust Ray Doyle with his life and did so, every day. “So let’s find this Sirius Black bloke, then.”

Bodie started the engine again and drove off down the dusty road.  
******

 

Amy was sat quietly at home, trying to come to terms with what had happened, when she heard a banging on the front door. She got up and went to see who it was.

“Hello Sirius.” She greeted the man at the door, just able to give him a half smile. 

Stood on the doorstep was a slightly panicked looking Sirius Black. He pulled the girl into a tight hug. “Thank Merlin you’re alright!” Sirius muttered into her shoulder in relief. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” the confused girl asked. 

Sirius stared at her as if she was completely mad. “Peter just betrayed your brother and his family to Voldemort, who is now dead. You’re one of the only people who could turn Peter in.”

“Alright, I see your point but I’m fine, really.”

“Okay, I’m going to talk to Dumbledore about what happened and what will happen to Harry. Stay here and keep the door locked.”

Sirius placed a brotherly kiss on Amy’s forehead before leaving for Dumbledore’s office. Neither of them noticed the small grey rat slip into the room. By the time Amy noticed there was an intruder in her house a flash of green was filling the living room and Sirius was long gone.

******

Doyle kicked the leg of his desk in frustration. 

“This is useless,” he said, shoving the toppling pile of paper files away from him. 

Bodie looked up from his desk where he was going through his own heap of paperwork. 

“It’s like this guy never existed,” he agreed. 

Doyle rubbed the bridge of his nose as he concentrated. “Maybe… maybe that’s the problem. Maybe he doesn’t exist.”

“Talk sense, Ray.”

“No, I mean it. There’s something really odd about all this and I can’t work out what it is.”

At that moment both of their R/Ts crackled into life and Bodie reached his first, clicking the transmission button. 

“3.7.”  
A woman’s voice echoed down the line. “Reports coming in of a murder pertaining to your current case.”

“Where?”

“Godric’s Hollow. A young woman.”

“Roger,” replied Bodie, looking pointedly at Doyle. “We’re on our way. Over and out.”

******

 

Jack knelt at Amy’s side, running a finger lightly through her hair. The room was full of Muggles, police and paramedics, but none of them saw him. No-one in this sad place believed in Jack Frost. A tear slid down his face, turning into a delicate snowflake as it landed on her cheek. 

Cold wind blew into the room as Bodie and Doyle opened the door and stepped inside. 

Jack looked up at them, recognising them immediately. He watched with interest as the other muggles in the room deferred to their obvious seniority and then he moved out of the way, even though he didn’t really need to, as Doyle came to kneel beside Amy. Jack watched as Doyle regarded the dead body with obvious sadness in his green eyes. 

This was a man who cared. And as Bodie came to stand behind him Jack realised that these were the men who could bring the murderer of Jack’s closest friends to justice. And he knew that they would need his help because it was obvious they knew nothing about the world of wizards. 

“Sirius Black,” whispered Doyle. 

“Let’s find him,” replied Bodie, firmly. 

And as they walked out of the house and got back in their Capri, Jack Frost was right behind them.

*******

By the time Sirius made it to his old headmaster's study he was absolutely furious. He didn't bother knocking and stormed straight into the room. If Dumbledore was surprised then he certainly didn't show it. 

"Can I help you with something Mr Black?" 

Sirius could hear the suspicion in his voice but brushed it off. 

"What were you thinking leaving Harry with the Dursleys? They hated Lily and James! Why would leaving their only son with them be a good idea? Why couldn't I look after him, or Amy?" 

The headmaster remained incredibly calm considering, as far as he was aware, he was talking to the person who had betrayed the Potters. 

"Miss Potter has enough to deal with as it is. She has a son of her own, works full time and I believe she's living with Mr Lupin and his condition could cause problems. Not to mention Harry would have problems growing up famous for something he wouldn't even remember. He's best kept away from that for-" 

He was cut off by a cat shaped Patronus running into the office and a female voice coming out of it. 

"Things have taken a bad turn. Amelia Potter has just been found dead in her house in Godric's Hollow." 

Sirius didn't even wait for the message to finish before he ran off. He realised it was Peter's doing and he knew if he didn't do something then no-one else would.

******

Bodie turned the heater in the Capri up again, trying to heat the car up as he tapped the controls with his fingers as if brute force could coax warm air through the vents. 

“What is wrong with this thing?” he muttered, shivering as the car seemed to get colder than ever. 

From the back seat, invisible to anyone who didn’t believe in him, Jack Frost grinned and blew another draft of cold air around Bodie’s neck.

Doyle folded his arms across his chest as he tried to keep warm, then closed his eyes and put his head back against the headrest. It had been a long day.

“You alright, Ray?” asked Bodie, glancing across at him.

“Yeah, bit of a headache,” replied Doyle. “Just give me five minutes, okay?”

“Sure,” replied Bodie, as he steered the car through the wintery London streets. “Not as if I know where I’m going, anyway. Wonder if they gritted the roads last night? I don’t remember them saying it was going to freeze...”

Bodie’s words faded out and other words took over in Doyle’s head.

The girl is no longer a problem. Good. We can’t afford to leave any witnesses. A busy London street, tall buildings, shops, crossroads, fountains, burger bars, traffic lights, red buses, taxis, one huge skyscraper in the centre... in the centre... Centre Point... a flashing neon sign... the Dominion...

“Tottenham Court Road,” said Doyle, sitting up straight.

“What?” asked Bodie, throwing his partner a sideways glance as he negotiated a roundabout.  
“Head North, Oxford Street. We need the Dominion.”

“Fancy seeing a show?”

“Just drive, Bodie!”

“Yeah, alright, keep your hair on,” muttered Bodie. 

From the back seat Jack leaned forward in anticipation as Bodie floored the accelerator and drove the Capri towards the West End as fast as it could go. 

******

 

Sirius knew exactly where to go – Peter’s place next to the Dominion theatre. When he got there Peter was just leaving, or trying to leave. Peter was extremely startled to find himself pinned to the wall by a furious Sirius Black.

“H…Hello S…Sirius,” Peter stammered. 

“How could you?” Sirius seethed. “How dare you betray your friends?! After all we did for you…”

Sirius was slightly unnerved when Peter wriggled free of his hold, his face changing to a grin as he pulled out his wand and pointed it. Peter moved quickly towards a large group of people who were gathered outside the theatre before shouting so that everyone could hear. “How could you, Sirius? They were your friends!”

Peter then sent a killing curse to the crowd behind him. Sirius watched in shock as the curse hit the twelve muggles stood there and, before he even had a chance to react, Peter had cut off his own finger, transformed into a rat and escaped down a nearby drain. 

People gathered behind Sirius, staring at him in shock. He started to laugh, realising that little Peter Pettigrew had tricked him very cleverly indeed. He didn’t notice the white haired youth watching intently from a short distance away, or the Capri that had pulled up behind him just before the flash of green light had filled the street. 

*****

Peter let out a squeak of relief. Granted, he didn’t know where he was and he now had a toe on his rat form missing (and a finger in his human form) but he was free, free from Pitch and free from being sent to prison. 

He was just beginning to enjoy his freedom, scampering around the garden he found himself in, when he felt two small hands close around him. He squeaked desperately as he tried to escape from the five year old boy’s firm grip. The red haired lad looked at him, curiously, before noticing his paw and taking him inside the house.

“Mummy!” The boy called out to a plump woman with orange hair who was busy doing magic to cook dinner. “Look what I found outside!”

“Take it back out to the garden, Percy. It’s filthy.”

Peter squeaked indignantly at being called ‘filthy’ but Percy didn’t notice. 

“Please, Mummy,” Percy begged. “He’s hurt. Please can we look after him?”

His Mother sighed but didn’t respond because at that moment she had to run off to sort out the curtains that her three year old twins, Fred and George, had just set on fire. 

Percy took that to mean ‘yes’ and carried the rat up to his bedroom. Placing a blanket in a cardboard box he placed the rat inside and gave it a piece of bread that he had stolen from the kitchen. 

“I’m going to call you, ‘Scabbers’,” he said, with a smile, watching as Scabbers curled up in the blanket and went to sleep, obviously happy to have found a nice new home. 

******

“So you’re Sirius Black?” said Doyle, leaning against the windowsill as he peered closely at their suspect. 

Jack Frost followed him and went to stand silently in the corner of the room content, for now, to watch and listen. 

Bodie closed the door to the interrogation room and perched on the edge of the desk, joining Doyle in his perusal of the man seated before them. 

Sirius matched them look for look, his gaze steady. 

“So,” he said, “is this where you beat me up to get me to confess?”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard about CI5...” said Bodie.

“I’ve heard nothing about CI5,” interrupted Sirius. “I’ve never heard of you and I have no idea what you do. But I do know one thing.” His voice became light, almost casual. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

Bodie snorted in derision. “Well you’re the one being interrogated, sunshine.”

Sirius turned his head to look out of the window. “I could get out of here any time I want.”

“Yeah?” replied Bodie. “So why don’t you?”

“Because maybe, Copper, I want to find James and Lily’s murderer as much as you do.”

“And the girl, Amy.”

Sirius’ eyelids flickered, nervously. “Yeah, poor Amy,” he whispered.  
“And the guy you killed at the theatre,” said Doyle, folding his arms across his chest. 

“Peter Pettigrew?” spat Sirius, suddenly standing up and throwing his chair backwards. “You don’t mean you think I killed him? You stupid, ignorant muggles!”

Bodie sprang to his feet and put his hand up. “Sit down,” he commanded, firmly. 

“But...!”

“I said SIT DOWN.” 

For a moment it looked as though Sirius was going to fight or run, anything but do as he was told, when suddenly it seemed he reached a decision and, picking the chair back up from where it had fallen, he sat back down. 

“You are so wrong,” he said, darting a glance across at Doyle. 

“We saw you do it,” said Bodie.

“What did you see, really?” said Sirius, leaning across the table a little. “A flash of green light? A man disappearing? And what had he done, eh? The man who vanished?”

“Well, why don’t you just tell us?” replied Bodie, a little sarcasm in his voice.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” said Sirius, relaxing back in his chair again and letting out a somewhat crazy sounding laugh. 

The door to the room opened and George Cowley peered into the room. 

“3-7,” he snapped, in full expectation of Bodie following him. 

Bodie nodded to his partner who blinked back - Doyle would stay and guard the suspect and they didn’t need words to confirm that.

“Sir?” Oblivious to Jack Frost slipping out through the gap in the doorway as the door closed behind him, Bodie joined his boss in the outer office and waited for instructions. 

“Charge him and get him out of here,” instructed Cowley.

“What?” said Bodie, looking confused. “We’ve only had him ten minutes.”

“We all saw what happened. There’s another department involved now – they’re taking over.”

“Taking over from CI5? But our authority says we can investigate anything...”

“Except this! It’s out of our hands now,” Cowley checked his watch. “You’ve got twenty minutes before they get here. If he hasn’t confessed by then we’ll have to hand him over. And no arguments, 3-7, understand?”

“Not really, Sir, but yes, we’ll hand him over in twenty minutes.”

Cowley slammed the door as he left, making Bodie frown deeply. 

A cup of tea, that’s what they needed. If Bodie’s suspicions were correct it may be the last one Sirius Black would ever have. 

******

Jack walked out of CI5 Headquarters to get some fresh air, angry and upset on so many levels that he couldn’t count them all. Bodie and Doyle didn’t believe in him which meant they couldn’t see or hear him and yet he was the one person who had witnessed what had happened and knew that Sirius was innocent. How was he supposed to tell them when they didn’t even know he was there? 

He kicked at a coke can, watching it turn into a snowball as it gathered pace down the street only to come to a sudden halt at the feet of a man. A man whose shoes were inky black, draped with a long black flowing robe the colour of darkness itself. 

“Pitch Black,” said Jack. 

“How nice to see you, Jack.”

“I might have known you’d be behind this.”

“Me?” Pitch spread his arms and tried to portray an image of innocence. “What have I done?”

“If I know you,” said Jack, skating around him and forcing him to turn full circle, “you’ve been pulling Pettigrew’s strings all along.”

“Clever boy,” replied Pitch, in a patronising manner. 

“But why? That’s what I’m not sure about. What has Sirius Black ever done to you?”

“Nothing that a bit of brotherly love can’t fix, eh, Jack? We both know how important our families are to us.”

“Families?” Jack frowned. Then the penny dropped. “You’re Sirius Black’s brother?”

Pitch responded by flying directly upwards to the top of the CI5 building and pausing in mid-air above Jack. 

“I don’t have a family, remember?!” he shouted back down to Jack. “Neither of us have families!”

And in a flash brighter than lightning he was gone. 

More angry than he had ever been before, Jack smashed his staff against the wall of the building causing frost to crinkle over the surface.

This whole thing was getting worse by the minute and he didn’t know what to do to stop the rot. 

On the verge of giving up and running away for good he blinked in surprise as a turquoise blur shimmered past him and entered the building and, intrigued, he followed the trail of fairy dust back into the interrogation centre. 

What on earth could the Tooth Fairy want with CI5?

******

As Bodie waited for the kettle to boil he glanced through the one way window to see how Doyle was getting on with Sirius, just as the door to the outer office crashed open again and a woman appeared.

“What in Merlin’s name do you think you’re doing?”

Bodie looked up at her, teaspoon in hand and recognition in his eyes. “Huh?”

“Are you stupid, or something? I asked you what you thought you were doing.” She pointed through the glass. “That is Sirius Black in there, not some common criminal.”

“Now look, darling...”

“Don’t you dare call me that!” Annie’s cheeks became a little flushed. 

“You’re not even supposed to be here,” said Bodie. “How did you get in?”

“None of your business.”

Bodie put the spoon down and switched off the kettle, before turning back to face her. He’d had just about enough of being called stupid today. “Actually, this is my business. This is CI5 Headquarters and I am CI5. Why don’t you just run along home and ... tidy the house or do some cooking, or whatever it is you women do.”

“You have absolutely no idea what you are getting into, you ignorant Policeman,” she snapped at him, her fists clenched by her sides. 

“Don’t you talk to me like that, little lady.”

Annie let rip. Bodie might still be languishing in a time before sexual equality but she most certainly wasn’t. She was a Witch of the highest order and respected in her world and was most certainly used to being treated as an equal. 

There was only one thing she could do to make her point. She punched him. 

Clutching at his now bleeding mouth Bodie took a step or two backwards, spitting his redundant tooth onto the carpet. 

A wry grin played across his face. “Nice shot,” he said, admiringly. 

Annie looked a little surprised. “Erm... thanks?”  
“I like a girl with a bit of spirit.” Bodie took a step towards her. “And you’re right. We don’t really know what we’re dealing with. But we’re trying, okay?”

“No, not really,” she replied, “because you’ve got the wrong man.”

“We’ll be the judge of that. You have to let us do our job.”

“Even if your job involves sending an innocent man to Azkaban?”

“Where?”

“Wizarding prison.”

“He’s a wizard?” Bodie raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Yes, you moron.”

“Oi, only my partner’s allowed to call me that.”

Annie smiled, mellowing a little. 

At that moment Doyle came out of the interview room to see where his tea had got to. 

“Hello,” he said to Annie, “what are you doing here?”

“I was trying to talk some sense into your pig headed caveman of a partner.”

“I’ve been trying to do that for years,” he replied, with a grin. 

Just then a flashing blur of turquoise entered the room and flew around Bodie’s head twice before coming to a halt in front of his face. He opened his mouth in surprise and Tooth grabbed her opportunity – and his mouth – and peered in for an inspection. Tutting to herself in dismay the fairy slapped poor Bodie around the face to admonish him for not looking after his teeth, stooped to grab the molar from the carpet and flew back off again. 

Bodie gaped at Doyle in shock. “Did you see that?”

“See what?” replied Doyle, totally confused. 

Annie hiccupped in fits of laughter, trying and failing to control herself. She had always believed in the tooth fairy ever since she met her as a little girl so had seen everything that had happened. Which meant Doyle didn’t believe while Bodie did, the thought of which only made her laugh even more. 

******

 

The twenty minutes dripped away quickly like fine sand in an egg-timer. 

Somewhat reluctantly Doyle brought Sirius out of the interrogation room, one guiding hand on the prisoner’s elbow. 

“Do we need to cuff him?” said Doyle to Bodie. 

“I don’t know,” said Bodie, looking at Sirius, questioningly. “Do we?”

“I’ll be good, promise,” smiled Sirius. 

It happened in a split second. As Doyle started to move forward Sirius pulled his wand from his inside pocket at a speed to rival any gunslinger and pointed it directly at Bodie, who responded by drawing his gun from his shoulder holster and aiming it with an unwavering hand. 

Doyle and Annie both froze. Jack, unseen, moved in front of Annie to protect her from whatever was about to happen. 

Sirius and Bodie stared at each other, unblinking. The hands on the office clock ticked, suddenly so loud they almost seemed deafening. 

“I could fry you, Copper,” hissed Sirius. “You and your curly haired mate, here. Before either of you could blink.”

“And how far would that get you?” replied Bodie, cool and calm in the face of the enemy. 

“Far enough.”

“I don’t think so. You’d be dead before you could get out of the building.”

“And so would you.”

“So maybe it’s my turn to die,” Bodie sounded philosophical, calm. “But even if it is, there’s Doyle to worry about. Exactly how many of us are you prepared to kill?”

Sirius’ grip on the wand wavered slightly as he considered the impact of Bodie’s words. 

“Expelliarmus!” As Annie cast the spell Sirius’ wand flew out of his hand and sailed over his head to land, tidily, in a nearby waste paper bin. 

“Annie!” Sirius screamed her name in despair and Doyle grabbed his hands and pulled them behind his back, snapping metal handcuffs around his wrists. 

“Stop! Please, Sirius, stop,” the girl begged, tears starting to fall down her face. “Listen to me. You’re innocent, you and I know that. But if you kill Bodie they’ll put you away for good.” She stepped towards him and reached out to stroke his hair, tenderly. “You’re innocent,” she repeated, in a whisper. “We’ll get you out of this, I promise. It’ll be okay.”

“I don’t like this, Ray,” muttered Bodie, his expression dark and thoughtful.

“We’ve got our orders,” said Doyle, although he too looked unconvinced. 

Behind them, unseen by everyone as they left the room to walk down to the car park, a window pane froze over as Jack Frost touched it, using the crisp whiteness to write with his finger...”Not Guilty.”

******

Standing by the roadside to watch as the Ministry of Magic took over the custody of Sirius Black reduced Annie to tears again, and she wasn’t the only one. 

Jack sat on the kerbside, watching as Sirius was locked away in the back of the transport vehicle, unable to prevent the tears from sliding down his face. He had failed to stop the wrong man being arrested, and the only reason he had been unable to help is because Bodie and Doyle didn’t believe in him. He’d tried and tried but hadn’t been able to break through the lack of belief these two grown men had. True, Bodie had seen the Tooth Fairy when she appeared but that was obviously where his childhood memories stopped. 

Sniffing, he listened as the two CI5 agents spoke to each other from where they were watching, just a few feet away. 

“There’s something not right here, Ray,” said Bodie. 

“I know.”

“I mean, those headaches. How come you found out about Sirius when you got them?”

Doyle shrugged. “Someone’s setting us up.”

“Exactly.”

“But we saw what he did to that Pettigrew bloke.”

“Did we?” asked Bodie. “I don’t know what we saw anymore. And Annie was so sure he was innocent.”

“All I know is we can’t prove it.”

“And that’s not good enough, not for us,” said Bodie. Looking across at Annie he realised she was still sobbing and he walked over to her. “I’m sorry,” he said, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket and offering it to her. 

Annie took it from him and blew her nose, dabbing at her wet eyes. “Thank you.”

“If there was any way we could have done more...”

“I know,” she sniffed. “It’s not your fault.”

The engine of the van started up and it slowly pulled away down the street. Unable to look anymore Annie turned towards Bodie and buried her face in his chest, relieved and somewhat comforted to feel his arms closing around her shoulders. 

In the background a turquoise coloured fairy sat on the kerb beside Jack and enveloped him in a glittery winged hug. 

Sirius Black was gone. 

******

 

Christmas 2013

Imagine your perfect Christmas scene: a roaring fire; a thick blanket of snow outside; a twinkling Christmas tree dripping in jewel like decorations; fairy lights; a table groaning full of food and a family sat contentedly watching the Dr Who Christmas special on the TV. 

Bored with the television Jack Frost was busily entertaining or, perhaps, irritating the family members by creating snow-works and sending them up to the ceiling in a brilliant white display. 

Ginny nudged Harry with her toe, implying that she wanted him to pass her the plate of mince pies from the side table. Fascinated by the Weeping Angels Harry ignored his wife but Teddy noticed what Ginny wanted and made the plate levitate across to her. 

Ginny plucked the plate from the air and took a bite of mince pie. “Don’t do magic outside of school, Teddy, dear,” she admonished, through a mouthful of pastry. 

The children, James, Lily and Albus, were captivated by Jack’s magical and creative display and lay on their backs to get the full effect. 

“When’s Leo getting here?” asked Teddy.

“Uncle Bodie and Auntie Annie are coming over with Leo and Andrew later,” replied Ginny. 

“And Ray?”

“Yes, dear. And Ray.”

Jack paused his snow-works for a moment, turning away from the un-natural, to him, warmth of the fire. He caught the eye of the last member of the family group from where he was sat in the corner, relaxing back in a soft comfortable armchair, his feet up on a coffee table that was covered in toys and food. Sirius smiled back at Jack, encouraging him to walk across the room to join him. 

“Okay?” asked Jack, quietly, knowing that the rest of the family couldn’t hear or see Sirius and not wanting to look as if he were talking to himself.

“Just thinking,” said Sirius. “I nearly got what I always wanted.”

“Which was?”

“Christmas with Harry. Shame he can’t see me.”

“Being a Guardian is a privilege and a bit of a curse at the same time,” replied Jack. “And now you’re April Fool, Guardian of Loyalty, you’ll have to get used to that.”

Sirius smiled again, a smile tinged with sadness but heartfelt all the same. “We’ve all got light and dark inside us,” he said. “What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” 

And together they turned to look out of the window as the snow continued to fall, as it would always fall, as sure as spring follows on from winter. 

The End.

  



End file.
